Thomas and Friends

If you have a child who is into trains, you have most certainly come across Thomas and Friends. There are TV shows, books, and lots of toys that feature the characters (trains). The books and show are all fine, and they of course are built to push your child into wanting the toys that they sell as is common among most shows.

Trains in general are often a favorite toy for kids. Wood train tracks that go together kind of like a puzzle (each piece interconnects with the next) used to be the most common train toys that you would find at the store - they’re still very common. The tracks are easy to use, allow for flexibility in how they go together, and have many different trains and cars that go on the tracks themselves. Many kids can play for an hour or more with these toys.

At some point, your child may be interested in trains that are electric powered. These trains will push themselves along the track without any assistance. Oftentimes, you’re also able to find toys that include an additional car that the trains will pull along behind them. Ultimately, they are another way for your child to have fun with trains.

Thomas and Friends offers such a train set, and they offer many different characters. Thomas, James, and Percy are the most popular choices as they’re the main characters, but they have other options as well. The trains themselves are pretty straightforward and will run along wood tracks as well as the specific train tracks sold for them.

The Thomas and Friends train tracks are plastic tracks which interconnect to usually form a specific layout. You can put the pieces together in any order you want, but the set you buy will come with a pre-determined layout that they recommend (basically it’s like a LEGO set, except they’re trains). Some of the train sets are really involved, and a lot of fun.

The downside to the Thomas and Friends tracks are the price. They will run over $100 for some of the sets, although you can find some for under $50. They are definitely overpriced compared to many of the other tracks out there that are available. While getting your child one of the tracks may make sense, you may be in for an expensive time if they want more of them. You’re probably better off just getting the trains and using them on other tracks (or on the floor).

The Thomas books are generally pretty good - they’re like most children’s books in that they’re not very exciting for adults. However, they generally have good lessons for the kids, and they have board books for the younger children. If your child is into trains, then getting a few of these books is totally fine.

Thomas and Friends is a popular brand among children. If your child likes trains, don’t be afraid to get them the books and the trains, but avoid the track sets if you can.